The out of control Station Fire burned more than 105,000 acres.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Producer Joe's list of things he would save in a fire: "(I’d grab as many of these things as I could) Sally (the best dog ever); Martin guitar; Fender guitar; Laptop;Hard drive full of pics, docs, music and everything else; Keys, Wallet, iPhone, Passport; Leatherman multi-tool; Spoon from my parent’s house; Stack of journals; Vintage postcard from Yosemite National Park; Rocks from the top of Half Dome and Mount Whitney; Scorpion belt buckle; CD copies of both my albums; Son Volt’s Trace on vinyl; Signed copy of Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine given to me by my mom; My bedside clock; Custom molded earphones; Baseball cap; Scrap of paper with a girl’s phone number; Tom Waits concert ticket stub; A concert ticket stub from the night Stevie Ray Vaughan died."
Joe Armstrong/KPCC
A firefighting DC-10 plane drops fire retardant on a ridge line to protect communication towers in Palmdale, California.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
File: A Los Angeles County fire fighter monitors hot spots as he fights the Station Fire August 30, 2009 in Acton, California.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Keep a pair of old shoes and a flashlight handy for a night evacuation. "Leave early," says LAFD Asst. Chief Jimmy Hill.

Have a plan for your escape route and have a back-up plan: You may have friends in Malibu who you have agreed to go stay with in case of an emergency, but if the roads are out what will you do? Arrange for a "plan B" in the opposite direction of your house just in case.

Have a plan for keeping in touch with your friends: Twitter, Blogspot blog, Facebook, or some analog means like an out-of-town friend who you can call to check in with.

Corral your pets: If you see a fire approaching, gather all of your pets and put them in one room quickly in case you have to evacuate.

Scan it: First word of a fire's movements may come across police or fire radios. L.A. county fire and police scanners can be heard online. Click here and scroll down to see the wide variety of official and un-official scanners available to you to track official radio transmissions.

If you are lucky enough to have Internet access, you may find yourself listening to a lot of police and fire scanners, which is fine, but how about a site that combines all of those under a comforting bed of mellow electonica? The website You Are Listening To: Los Angeles can either be eerily frightening, or strangely comforting.

Don't get trapped in your car or truck: Vehicles offer zero protection from radiant heat. Stay in the car only as the absolute last resort with the engine running, the windows up and vents closed, and the air conditioner on with the air circulating. More tips about being in a car during a fire here.

If you are driving: Drive slowly, with your lights on. Watch out for fleeing livestock, animals, and people. Watch for traffic signals that may be out. Approach those intersections as four-way stops.

According to the LA Fire Dept., "a Red Flag Alert is called when the wind speed is 25 miles per hour or more and the relative humidity is 15% or less.

During a Red Flag Alert, parking restrictions will exist on certain narrow streets in brush areas. To determine current Red Flag Alert Parking Restrictions within the City of Los Angeles, please call 3-1-1 or visit LAFD.org/RedFlag

Protecting your home from Brush Fires

Trim grass and weeds, and native brush around your property so that they are no more than 3 inches in height.

Trees branches must be trimmed up to 6 feet from the ground. Remove all dead material.

Even if tree branches from your neighbor's tree overhangs onto your property, you are responisible for trimming any branch that is up to 5 feet from any roof of your home.

No tree foliage can be closer than 10 feet from the outlet of the chimney.

Clean your roof so that it is free of leaves, needles, pine cones, twigs, and other combustible materials.